Letters to the Editor: Robert Chipkin's column speaks for many, Sisters of St. Joseph helped many, and more

I would like to congratulate Robert Chipkin on his exceptional article, “After the Bombing: “We’re OK, and we’re not,” in the May 9 edition of The Republican. He put into words what many of us have felt. His article was one of the finest pieces of writing that I have read in your newspaper.

In fact, my wife and my stepdaughter were supposed to have been given passes from a race official for the Boston Marathon finish line, but fortuitously did not receive them. Instead, they waited just past the finish line about two short blocks away from the bombings. I can only think in response: “But for the grace of God, go I.”

– DICK FORREST, East Longmeadow

Sisters gave excellent education

The May 5 Sunday Republican gave a very informative overview of the contributions of the Sisters of St. Joseph to our community. As a graduate of Cathedral High School, I was very fortunate to receive an excellent education from the sisters. The dedication to academic excellence by the Sisters of St. Joseph was on a par to what I received in earning under graduate and master’s degrees.

Currently I see the continued efforts of the sisters in my parish, St. Michael’s in East Longmeadow. Sr. Betty Broughan and Sr. Mary McGeer are pastoral assistants to Father Jim Scahill, and are always willing to assist parishioners and many individuals in surrounding communities.

As Sister Maxyne Schneider SSJ president noted in her letter in the Sunday Republican the Sisters of St. Joseph now face a financial crisis based on declining assets and increased costs.

I strongly encourage all who received an education from the Sisters of St. Joseph and have been touched by the generosity of their ministries to contribute to their assorted fund raising efforts. Thank you to all the Sisters of St. Joseph for the service you have provided to so many over the years.

– FRAN BOGDANOWICZ, Longmeadow

Lesson from Greeks on burying dead

Four hundred years before Christ, Sophocles tells us a little bit about ourselves today. Antigone defies Creon’s edict that her dead brother Polynices should be left to rot in the city square, eaten by vultures rather than be given a decent burial. Brothers Eteoles and Polynices have killed each other but Eteoles is given an honorable burial since he is in Creon’s favor. Antigone agonizes with her sister Ismene over this dilemma, and decides to bury Polynices despite Creon’s order, punishable by death if disobeyed.

As Antigone is thrown in prison to await her punishment, she simply proclaims that “divine law” is always superior to man’s law. And so it is.

Yet it may be that evil terrorists who cannot force us to commit such physical, terrible acts may succeed in turning our own hearts to operate as their own. Does not our response to evil in this world reveal more about ourselves than the perpetrators?

Let us rethink the mindset of strong opposition to burying the dead and elevate it to a civilized and God-fearing response if for the only reason that we are civilized.

Even Judas was buried in a Potter’s Field.

– GERRY O’BRIEN, Springfield

‘How they voted’ a valuable feature

Kudos to the Sunday Republican for reporting the results of several votes in the Massachusetts House in April. Our elected representatives voted not to require Social Security numbers from applicants for subsidized housing, not to require the state to enforce fines and penalties against stores that misuse EBT cards, and not to reduce the shocking number of “exceptions” being given to workfare benefit applicants.

Every Western Massachusetts Democrat representative voted against these reasonable bills at the instructions of House leadership.

On all three bills, the Sunday Republican reports that “Opponents offered no arguments” against the bills; they simply voted against them en masse.

Our elected representatives don’t even feel obliged to explain why it’s good for us to let illegal aliens receive subsidized housing ahead of legal residents, why the state shouldn’t enforce laws against EBT fraud, and why over half of “workfare” applicants shouldn’t have to work.

This is the direct result of one-party government. They may call themselves “Representatives,” but our Democrat-controlled Legislature no longer represents the interests of their average constituent.